Reading well at 7 sets you up for life

The results suggest that learning to read at an early age has ramifications far beyond simple literacy.

The results suggest that learning to read at an early age has ramifications far beyond simple literacy.

Published Aug 4, 2014

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London - Children who can read well by the age of seven are more intelligent in later years, scientists have found.

Youngsters who have a good reading ability at primary school perform better in their teens in IQ tests for abstract thinking, general cognition and pattern finding.

The results suggest that learning to read at an early age has ramifications far beyond simple literacy.

Psychologist Dr Stuart Ritchie, of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We found that those who are better at reading tend to be smarter later in their development.

“Even at the age of seven you can already see the effect. It is perhaps not a shock to learn that better readers develop higher levels of verbal reasoning.

“But what is perhaps more surprising is that children who have a better ability to read do better in non-verbal tests.”

Scientists at Edinburgh and King’s College London tracked 1 890 pairs of identical twins over nine years.

They underwent a series of IQ tests at seven, then again aged nine, ten, 12 and 16.

The results revealed those who were better at reading had higher general intelligence and were more adept at spotting patterns, observing trends and completing pictures.

Because identical twins share all of their genes and grow up in the same home, researchers were able to set aside genetic and environmental factors.

They found that even between pairs of twins, a sibling who was a better reader would go on to have higher intelligence.

Dr Ritchie said: “You cannot get a better statistical control than identical twins.

“This technique meant we could accurately test to see if one twin was a little bit better than the other at reading, would that reading advantage impact their general intelligence? And the conclusion was yes it does.”

Pinpointing the cause of the difference in reading ability between twins was almost impossible, the scientists found.

It could be caused by a particularly good teacher, one twin simply enjoying reading more than the other, or a myriad of other aspects. “It is probably down to luck,” Dr Ritchie said.

The study, published today in the Child Development journal, suggests that reading teaches young children how to use their imagination, something that also helps them think abstractly and rationally in fields of mathematics, science and logic. - Daily Mail

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